


Can't Take My Eyes Off of You

by TheEmcee



Category: Magic: The Gathering (Card Game)
Genre: Actor Oko, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Maintenance man Garruk, Not Beta Read, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Short One Shot, We Die Like Men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-24 17:56:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21103607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEmcee/pseuds/TheEmcee
Summary: Oko didn’t like being ignored, especially by the guy that he had been trying to woo for the past few months.





	Can't Take My Eyes Off of You

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the characters or the fandom. This is a complete work of fiction.
> 
> A/N: I’ve been playing MTG for about a year and a half now, and while I don’t know everything about the lore of, well, everything, I’d like to think that my love of the franchise will translate well enough into fanfiction At least, that’s my hope. Anyway, this is an alternate universe sort of thing, so yeah. Let me know what you think in the towel section down below and enjoy!

~…~

Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You

~…~

If there was one thing in the entire world Oko could not tolerate, aside from spiders and overpriced coffee, it was being ignored. That alone was enough to aggravate him to the point of making his left eye twitch. However, being ignored by the guy that he was trying to sleep with? Now that was positively maddening!

Things had been going so well too. While Garruk hadn’t fallen for Oko’s initial charm and beautiful face, he seemed at least amused by the shorter man. The more they talked, the more Oko realized that Garruk wasn’t just the large, muscular maintenance man; he was intelligent and observant in his own way. And he had a compassion for and an understanding of animals that Oko couldn’t even begin to comprehend. And although Garruk wasn’t fond of the general public (not that Oko could blame him), he had never pushed Oko away or treated him indifferently.

That was one of the reasons Oko had sought him out after he had first bumped into the beef cake. It had been during the very first rehearsal for the play that he was a member of. As head of the maintenance department, Garruk had been introduced to the cast that first day. Oko hadn’t been all that impressed at first, but then he noticed those green eyes of his. Nobody could have prettier eyes than him, so he approached him after rehearsal.

Although Garruk had seemed indifferent at first and even somewhat annoyed, he hadn’t shrugged Oko off like an annoyance. That alone made Oko perk up; he had been used to being pushed aside and mocked for most of his life by his family, so for a stranger to treat him like a person, well, that was all it took really. Prior to moving to the city, people treated Oko like a necessary evil. His family had owned half of the small town they lived in and were notorious for being assholes. Oko hated them all and wanted to be different, but people in his hometown never gave him a chance. 

But in the city, no one knew who he was, and Garruk had been the first person that Oko had latched onto. Sure, there were his fellow actors at the theater, but Oko wasn’t really interested in them, not like he was interested in Garruk anyway. As fellow actors, they were almost as good as he was, but none of them held a candle to Garruk.

Oko greeted Garruk everyday at the theater, and they would talk during breaks and afterwards. After two months of the same routine, Oko had invited (technically forced but whatever) Garruk out for a few drinks. Things had gone so well that night; Oko even managed to make out with Garruk for a few minutes before something changed. Even now, three weeks after that, Oko still couldn’t pin exactly what had gone wrong. Had he been too forceful? It’s not like Garruk wouldn’t have been able to push him away if that had been the case. Or perhaps Garruk wasn’t as attracted to him as Oko thought. But then why agree to go out for drinks with him in the first place?

Not knowing what he did Oko would’ve been bad enough by itself, but Garruk had been giving him the cold shoulder ever since that night. Granted, Oko hadn’t had a whole lot of time as opening night approached, what with dress rehearsals taking precedence over his own personal issues, but still. Garruk barely replied to his greetings backstage and in passing. And the entire week leading up to tonight, opening night, the beef cake had ignored him altogether. It’s infuriating and messing up his concentration.

Oko was used to people gazing at him, watching his every move; it came with the job after all. But the one person Oko wanted to watch him wouldn’t even look at him. This was something he wouldn’t tolerate. 

The first act wasn’t over yet; there were still a few scenes left before intermission. Oko didn’t care. Acting was the one thing he was amazing at. He could transform into anyone and anything, like a shapeshifter, and that feeling on becoming something entirely different was empowering. So how dare Garruk steal that from him, especially on opening night?! It was utterly uncalled for and it made his blood boil. 

He was right in the middle of a scene. Garruk was standing to stage left, hidden within the shadows off stage, ready to act if any sort of emergency happened on stage. Those green eyes that had captivated Oko so completely during day one pointed looked everywhere except at him. That was unacceptable. Oko refused to allow this to continue.

With desperation flooding his body, something he would deny later, Oko broke character and glared at Garruk.

“Look at me, damn it!” he screamed. 

His co-stars looked shocked while the audience gazed at him questioningly, but Oko didn’t look away from Garruk. Not until the larger man finally, at long last, met his gaze. The electricity that sparked between them as they stared at each other was palpable to Oko. They would speak after the play ended. He knew that Garruk wouldn’t avoid him this time. 

With that settled, Oko slipped back into character, feeling more comfortable and at ease than he had all night. Though his co-stars were confused, they carried on as though nothing happened, as if Oko’s outburst was completely natural. The audience were confused, but no one left or made any disgruntled sounds or comments, so they must have been okay with it. 

Before Oko even knew it, act one had finished and intermission had begun. Oko grabbed his water bottle backstage and took at swig as he watched Garruk and his crew get the stage set for act two. His dark eyes watched as Garruk worked, each move precise and strong, yet surprisingly gentle at the same time. He had only felt those strong hands on his face once and he wanted to feel them again. Perhaps after tonight that would be possible.

All too soon intermission was over and act two started. It went along flawlessly and Oko couldn’t help but feel proud at that. After all, this was his first performance with this company and their theater and while he didn’t doubt his abilities, he had been apprehensive. But now, Oko realized that he didn’t need to be. He was in his element and now that he could focus and concentrate, his performance would be even better than before.

Once act two ended and the cast and crew took their bow, Oko quickly changed out of his costume and made his way towards Garruk. The man and his crew were cleaning up the stage and making sure the props and backgrounds were in proper order. It wasn’t long before Garruk was standing before him. With his hands on his hips, Oko glared up at the man.

“Are you going to tell me why you’ve been avoiding me and giving me the cold shoulder for a month?” Oko demanded.

“It hasn’t been a month. It’s only been two weeks,” Garruk replied. At Oko’s arched eyebrow, he added, “Okay, three.”

“That’s what I thought. Start talking, buddy,” Oko said. “If you’re not interested in me then just tell me and I’ll leave you alone.”

“It’s not that I’m not interested,” Garruk began. He crossed his arms over his chest, a defensive move that Oko used often himself. “It’s just…complicated.”

“Complicated how?” Oko asked, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. What had he gotten himself into?

“I’ll explain it,” Garruk said. “But not here.” And he began walking towards the exit.

“Where are you going?” Oko asked, practically running to catch up to him.

“To get something to eat. It’s a long story and I’m hungry,” Garruk huffed, sounding annoyed but Oko knew what he was trying to say. With a small grin on his face, Oko walked with him.

“Sounds like a date,” he teased. “You’re buyin’.”

“I figured as much,” Garruk grumpily replied. That just made Oko smile even more. On the outside, Garruk was a big tough guy, but on the inside, he was still a big tough guy, but he was kind in his own way, if one got to know him.

“Apology accepted,” Oko mumbled softly, but he knew Garruk heard him, judging by his tense shoulders relaxing ever so slightly. 

Whatever Garruk had to tell him, Oko was sure it would be quite a story. And if whatever happened to him caused him to react as he had after a brief make out session, then things weren’t going to be easy. But it was only fair to Garruk to hear him out; Oko had called him out after all, and during a performance, nonetheless. After hearing his story, Oko would decide what to do.

For now, though, he was just happy to be center stage again.


End file.
